Part III

In Part III, “Smart Paths,” Oppenheimer sets out to provide examples of successful schools that have not been caught up in the technology fad.

Urban Academy, a school in the Upper East Side of New York City, students are above average and are more likely to attend a four-year college. Oppenheimer describes the school as a family atmosphere, where teachers and students have a much closer relationship than at traditional schools. Also, despite its small size (11 teachers, 120 students), Urban Academy offers a wide range of courses, which are taught in a ‘habits of mind’ style, where students are often researching a real world problem. A key point of the chapter is that technology is not a focus or considered important, the focus is on teaching basic skills, which allows students to learn skills in word processing and spreadsheets which will prepare them for higher education.

The emphasis of Chapter Twelve is the principle of Keeping It Simple Student (KISS). Through a series of examples Oppenheimer shows that technology is not needed to engage students and make learning fun, rather simple physical devices and teaching strategies can keep students interested. The argument is best summed up by an Oppenheimer quote regarding the philosophy of three very different educators, “the priority is each student’s need for physical, sensual, and often idiosyncratic engagement with academic concepts,” (350). Oppenheimer describes what he witnessed in successful progressive schools in New York and what researchers have learned about Japan; engaging, creative styles of pedagogy, with little emphasis (or use) of computers, calculators, or other technologies and classes with active exploration, argument, analysis. I did find this interesting, as at my school we are trying to focus on keeping the students physically active during the day. I have seen improvements in attention, and effort, however I think Oppenheimer underestimates the potential positive impact of computers and technology in the classroom.

In Chapter Thirteen, Oppenheimer describes the Waldorf School approach, which emphasis multi-sensory approaches, inciting student imagination, and providing a sense of ethics. Oppenheimer first travels to a Waldorf School in California, full of juvenile delinquents, where he witnesses ‘troubled kids’ having unexpected success. In an even more telling example, Oppenheimer describes two schools that shared a building in a poor, minority area of Milwaukee. One school focused on technology, while the other used a Waldorf approach. Students at the technology school produced reports of little substance, had lower test scores (among the lowest in the city), and showed little pride in their work, while the Waldorf students excelled academically and showed off their knitting projects and other reports. Waldorf schools do have their critics. Due to a lack of emphasis on reading, some students cannot read until the third grade, and some worry that the non-competitive approach ill prepares students for the real world.

Reading The Flickering Mind has made me think about how computers can be useful in schools, but also that too much technology may distract students from working through problems, placing them at a disadvantage of how to handle difficult real-world challenges. I feel that not allowing students access to technology, something which is second nature to most of them,is cruel and in my mind will make them less prepared for the 'real world'. As a teacher it is my job to ensure the technology integration is connected to the content and enriching to the lesson. I will certainly not sit my students in front of the computer and let them surf the Internet. I felt Oppenheimer was negative and lacked a good amount of credible data to support his argument against technology in the classroom.

The Flickering Mind II

Too much technology at too young an age can stifle children’s imaginations. “Bulldozing the Imagination,” begins Part II of Oppenheimer’s book, The Flickering Mind. The need for technology has created a situation where schools, faced with serious budget constraints, decide to - trade off classes in the Arts, Shop, etc., school supplies and teachers, and other pressing needs – for new technology in the form of computers, printers, etc. Oppenheimer provides an example of a school district in Pittsburgh that shut down schools, cut back spending school supplies, and raised taxes so the district could acquire new Dell computers, scanners, and digital cameras. Oppenheimer discusses important elements that contribute to student creativity and imagination; these are physical activity, art and music classes, and social interaction. Therefore, school districts should be wary to cut these programs and emphasize technology.

In Chapter Eight, Oppenheimer focuses on the intersection of the private sector, politics, and schools. The deregulation that occurred in the 1980s and 1990s provided an opportunity for the Telecom industry to make huge profits at the expense of schools and taxpayers by providing new technologies. With little oversight, Wisconsin’s TEACH program and the federal government’s e-rate program, school districts were overcharged by millions of dollars. Examples in San Francisco and Atlanta highlight the audacity of the companies involved; the SF school district could have funded the entire project for less than 20% of the e-rate bid. Other private sector initiatives (like the Edison project) skewed data to make it seem that the program was improving test scores.

The focus of Chapter Nine is on scientific research. Successful academic programs must be backed up by scientific evidence as to their effectiveness; Bush’s No Child Left Behind is a perfect example. But Oppenheimer wonders if we can trust the science and tells the story of Renaissance Learning, a educational software company that basically lied with numbers to highlight their program’s success. In Chapter Ten, Oppenheimer discusses the difficulties involved with teacher training. He uses the Harlem example again and describes a middle-age teacher becoming increasingly frustrated with his classroom’s technology. Oppenheimer notes that training teachers is expensive and it is often lost that teachers have a great number of demands and very little time to be adequately trained. If teachers do not understand the technology, then how can they use it to properly teach, and why do we keep throwing money at technology?

Oppenheimer brings up some excellent points in Part II. First, so much emphasis is placed on technology, other important elements of student learning are suffering including arts and music programs, physical education, and social interaction. Next, too much emphasis is placed on having the newest technology (fads) that is backed up by ‘scientific’ research; the problem is how do we know the research is sound and why are we so caught up the latest trends? We’ve lost focus on what is important. What I have learned form this is as an instructional designer and first grade teacher it is important for me to maintain a balance for my students.

The Flickering Mind: Part I

In his book, The Flickering Mind, Todd Oppenheimer intends to sort out the debate regarding the integration of technology into the classroom. Does technology (the computer) represent an opportunity for education reform? Or rather, is technology a threat that is not only ineffective but also dangerous?


Oppenheimer describes the history of efforts to integrate technology into education, which he details as a series of false hopes and failures. Examples are provided of new technologies that would revolutionize education, beginning with the motion picture (1920s), strongly supported by Thomas Edison, the radio (1940s) (Cleveland), Skinner’s teaching machines (1950s and 1960s), and later the television and computers of the last several decades. Leading us to believe that this newest obsession may be just a passing fad as all the others. Oppenheimer also describes a series of federal government program failures regarding technology and education (examples include administrations of JFK, LBJ, Bush, and Clinton).

Oppenheimer next discusses how the federal government spent millions of dollars in futile attempts to try and close the gap between rich and poor schools in regards to technology. He tells the story of schools in Harlem where millions were spent on computers and the Internet, but no teacher training or technical support was provided. When reading this I felt this is one of the biggest problems in education, when you are given the tools there is not sufficient support/training. I just attended a professional development yesterday, the day before school, focused on collaboration and working across the grades. We sat for seven hours listening to all of these ideas and then told, go implement it this year. In my opinion, they have great ideas but do not give us the time to debrief after the sessions.

Oppenheimer then watched as computers distracted students and teachers from ‘teachable moments’. What did programs like I.S. 275 and Project SMART accomplish? Millions of dollars so kids could play computer games, draw pictures (not by hand), do ambitious projects that ultimately failed, and work on ILS packages and the LOGO program that dumb down education and are inflexible.

The author also describes the integration of laptops into a school in rural West Virginia. The school received positive attention and newspaper articles documenting their state-of-the-art wireless facilities. Oppenheimer takes a closer look and sees that (just like in Harlem), the computers have simplified learning at the loss of critical thinking for students. He describes how technology is not a supplement to education, but rather a replacement.

In Chapter Five, Oppenheimer focuses on New Tech High in Napa, California, a school that would be a model-training center for workplace demands. He found the same old problems of off-task students, but also explores problems with project-based learning and group-focused curriculum. Oppenheimer complains that the focus is on what you show rather than what you learn, and students must go off-campus to take classes in Art and languages.

Oppenheimer concludes the first part of the book by discussing how society has become too consumed with technology fads in education and that we must remember basic principles that guide how students learn. As an instructional designer reading this book, it is evident that I must also stay focused on student learning. Also, I must be careful in getting caught up with the latest fads, I must make sure that the learning objectives are truly being met.

FutureWatch 4

FREE SCHOOL???

Education in the future should be available to all students regardless of location or money. With the technological advances made in the past ten years, I believe we are heading into the direction of accessibility for all people.
When thinking of online classes, the type of students that come to mind are people who have access to a computer and prefer the convenience of online classes. An article in 'The Economist' entitled Raising Alabama, discussed online education for students who do not have access to specialty classes because they live in a rural area where specialty teachers are scarce. They started a pilot program called ACCESS (Alabama Connecting Classrooms Educators and Students Statewide). This program allowed students in rural areas to take more AP classes, resulting in a 2.1% improvement in black students who passed the AP course, the largest improvement in the country. This program also allowed students to take virtual field trips to Antarctica, an experience that will make it more real for the students. I am particularly excited about these field trips, especially with the advancement of GoogleMaps allowing us to virtually travel to places we may have never before seen.
When I came across a blog post, In the Future, the Cost of Education Will Be Zero, the title alone drew me in. Is anything in life free? This concept seems to be a bold endeavor, and if it works, it will give many students an opportunity of continuing education. University of the People is the name of the 'free' university and was dreamed up by the United Nations GIAD. This University, "utilizes open source courseware and peer-to-peer learning to deliver information to students without charging tuition." You will not find any Med students at this University, it is a chance for third world students to take general ed type courses and build their skills and credits for a better career without breaking the bank.

New technology innovations, learning management sites, and social networks are providing us with the technology and resources to share materials and knowledge with each other at no cost. To me, it seems fair that all people no matter their background have opportunities to get an education to enable them to live their dream. Why should someone have to work at a job and be miserable their whole life just because they did not have the money to go to college? However, I wonder what that will mean for my job as an educator? I feel the role of educators and instructional designers will change with this shift. They will be used more as advisors for these types of courses. On the other hand, with the recent developments and programs such as University of the People, we will find many more opportunities for everyone... at a lower price:) It will be interesting to see the data in a few years.

The Future of my Three Loves

The Future of my 3 loves; hands-on-learning, mobile-

learning, and Mayer's multimedia principal

As educators and students we are challenged to stay current with technologies and teaching methods to provide our students with an optimal learning experience, yet it is always fun to look ahead and imagine the possibilities of our future and how they will impact our life.  As an instructional design student I have chosen my three loves to be hands-on-learning, mobile-learning, and Mayer's multimedia principal.   My first love, mobile learning, has a future of being a 'sixth sense;' a concept that may adjust my teaching of the five senses.  Ted, a networking company, is currently creating a new sixth sense mobile technology which hangs on your neck and consists of a camera, projector, mirror, and caps to allow the user to interact with projected data through their fingertips...Watch the video below to see for yourself:

The implications of this sixth sense technology means that instructional designers must educate themselves and keep current on design theory in order to design these and other learning oriented tools (Reiser & Dempsey 2007).  In five to ten years, this recent development will be as common as cell phones students will no longer have the excuse of missing homework, because it will be stored in a device literally at their fingertips.  

My second love is Mayer's multimedia principle.  In the past five years many emerging technologies have been implemented into the classroom, and schools are beginning to integrate instructional technology tools to develop "Classrooms of the Future."  Today children are able to use rich media tools like Skype to collaborate with digital classrooms around the world, connecting and learning about other cultures is now easier than ever.  As a teacher, each time I see a new video, educational game, or software, I am eager to integrate it into my classroom.  However, I need to be careful to ensure I am choosing effective media that aligns with my instructional objectives. Instructional designers as well will have to conduct formal evaluations on current tools, and use information to guide the development/improvement of future tool.  In ten years I predict that these rich media sources, such as educational videos will be personalized based on each individual students' needs and abilities.  

The future of hands-on-learning is exciting as the trend in education is moving away from traditional lecture classrooms and towards simulated, active learning environments.  A good example of this is the Quest Learning Program, a new schools designed to use the principals of games to create an immersive hands-on-learning experience for its students.  In my own classroom I use learning centers as small-group-work, which enables my students to practice skills through guided discovery.  In the book, Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology, the authors predict, "as many creative designs give emphasis to socially active learning, interactions will become an even more central force in courseware development" (Reiser & Dempsey 2007).  In our near future I see many schools implementing active learning pedagogy as the Quest to Learn Program has done.  

FutureWatch 1: Youtube K-12 Criticism

Can the United States Education system keep up with the rest of the world? According to the youtube video, A Nation in Crisis: American's Educational System is Broken, it cannot, even citing that we are in danger of becoming a 3rd world labor market by the year 2030. How can this be? In my view we have excellent teacher training in our country, innovative technology, and wealth, but is it being utilized to its potential? Not according to the youtube.com video Pay Attention, which delivers a powerful message urging teachers to start using technology to teach more efficiently to engage students, and spark creativity of our youth. In this blog I will discuss the foregoing points and my reaction as an educator.
Watching the videos was eyeopening to me, and the statistic that jumped out was the U.S. ranking of the OECD countries:
How can the United States improve its educational system to maintain its status as a dominant world power? Thankfully, this issue is one of President Obama's priorities. An article in a recent issue of the Economist, highlighted the reasons U.S. children are lagging behind their European and Asian counterparts. For example, American children have one of the shortest school years, 180 days, compared to as many as 200 days in other OECD countries. American children also have one of the shortest school weeks, 32 hours a week, compared to a 60 hour school week in Denmark and Sweden. In addition, the long summer vacation acts as an "eraser" with children forgetting up to a month of instruction. President Obama has urged schools to "rethink the school day," wanting an overhaul of the school calendar, which originates from our farming days; he is pushing for longer school days and a longer school year.
Recovered from YouTube.com June 15,2009:
As an educator, I am happy with this plan and I believe that teachers need to continue to educate themselves on best practices. A small amount of U.S. schools have taken President Obama's advice. A charter school known as KIPP has instituted more education, increasing student's class time to 60% more than their peers resulting in higher test scores. However, in this economic crisis and without more funding, it will be difficult for schools to change their traditional routine.

Preconditions for Whole-District Ecological Systemic Change

It is well documented that piecemeal changes in education have little or no impact to improving schools; ecological systemic changes are needed. Ecological systemic change recognizes the importance of interrelationships between all relevant stakeholders and their environment. However, systemic changes in education do not come overnight, and before one can even begin to think about whole-district systemic change, research shows that three prerequisites must be present: core and supporting work, social architecture, and the district's relationship with the external environment (Reiser and Dempsey, 211). In this blog we will discuss the existence of the foregoing prerequisites in a rural school district which we will call David.
The first prerequisite for ecological systemic change is the core and supporting work. This is focused on the existence of a core group of school and community leaders with a common vision. David has in place a core group of leaders with a common vision for the district, as the district has a good reputation because of past successes. This core group is made of the superintendent, principal, school board president, and an active PTA. However, a recent shift in leadership has weakened the core group leading to inconsistencies which may make ecological systemic change more difficult.
The second prerequisite is the internal social architecture. This refers to the power and political relationships, communication, and incentives within the school district. David's strength in this area is the good communication between the administration and staff. We have a open door policy, where teachers are encouraged to speak with administrators regarding new ideas or expressing concerns. On the negative side, David does not have consistent set of curriculum standards, we are required to follow state standards but up until this coming year have all been teaching from various math, spelling, and science textbooks. There has been difficulty mandating away from this hodgepodge approach for fear of lower morale among the staff.
The final prerequisite is the district's relationship with its external environment. This is the district's attention to the ever changing community needs, and its ability to build and evolve around these needs. David's strength in this area is providing frequent family nights, where parents are given the opportunity to come and learn how to enrich their child's learning. Reading tips, math games, and other creative teaching strategies are also provided. David's biggest weakness in this area is its inability to meet the needs of a growing lower income population.
Overall, David has many of the necessary conditions in place for ecological systemic change to occur.